The close-fought three-way battle for victory among the many big Ultimes within the 2022 Route du Rhum noticed a brand new course document and win for Charles Caudrelier on Maxi Edmond de Rothschild
Charles Caudrelier crusing his Ultime trimaran Maxi Edmond de Rothschild was first to cross the end line of the 2022 Route du Rhum race this morning in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe in a time of 6 days 19 hours 47 minutes and 25 seconds.
It is a new (but to be ratified) course document for the Route du Rhum with Caudrelier beating the earlier finest set within the final race by Francis Joyon of seven days 14 hours 21 minutes and 47 seconds, regardless of early situations being removed from beneficial.
After the road an emotional Caudrelier mentioned: “I’m not even drained. The primary 24 hours have been arduous.”
The Gitana marketing campaign is likely one of the most long-standing and dedicated sponsorships in crusing. Caudrelier took over the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, also referred to as Gitana 17, as solo skipper final yr, having beforehand co-skippered with Franck Cammas for double-handed and crewed campaigns.
He continued: “I so needed to win the race for the workforce. I’ve been dreaming of it since I used to be younger. It’s for the household Rothschild. It appeared like a loopy thought, constructing a ship that might fly. It’s for Franck Cammas, as he had the expertise. With out him I wouldn’t be right here. He left me the place for the Rhum. He might have received it himself.
“It’s a Formulation 1 workforce and I simply drive within the race. It is a workforce effort and there’s Guillaume Verdier, the designer. I lately misplaced my mom and she or he isn’t right here to share this second. Because of everybody for believing in me.”
Maxi Edmond de Rothschild shortly earlier than successful the 2022 Route du Rhum. Photograph: Alexis Courcoux / Route du Rhum
It has been an impressively shut battle between the highest three Ultime trimarans (Gitana, Sodebo and SVR-Lazartigue Ultime) all through a lot of the three,542-mile race. Caudrelier led the fleet from the beginning however has not had issues all his personal means.
Initially the race committee known as Gitana as was certainly one of a number of boats over the starline, which might have required Caudrelier to cease for a compulsory 4 hour penalty. Nonetheless, the Gitana race workforce have been in a position to present a major quantity of GPS knowledge to the race officers to indicate that he was really 50m behind the startline on the gun and the penalty was dropped.
Though Gitana led out of the beginning and on the end, the lead swapped between Caudrelier and François Gabart (crusing SVR-Lazartigue Ultime) on quite a lot of events as the massive foiling multihulls navigated a number of complicated mild wind transitions. However is was Caudrelier within the lead more often than not, together with his hole to Gabart remaining round 40nm for a lot of the Atlantic crossing with a most hole to second of just a little over 100nm.
Gabart is about to complete shortly, selecting up his second consecutive 2nd place within the Route du Rhum, having misplaced victory to Francis Joyon within the remaining minutes of the 2018 version of the Route du Rhum.
Thomas Coville on Sodebo Ultim 3 additionally remained in shut competition with the lead two boats all through this yr’s Route du Rhum and was shut sufficient to be constantly placing stress on Gabart in second. This morning, nonetheless, his workforce reported he had caught a fishing web on his remaining method to Guadaloupe.
4 years of enchancment
Most importantly, this Route du Rhum resolved many questions of reliability for the enormous Ultimes, with no important incidents after Armel le Cleac’h on the Maxi Banque Populaire XI incurred foil harm firstly (he was in a position to restore and restart later).
It’s a important distinction to the 2018 Route du Rhum, which noticed the earlier Banque Populaire capsize and break up, Maxi Edmond de Rothschild had an entire bow part ripped clear off, the earlier Sodebo suffered structural points, whereas Gabart’s Macif limped to the end lacking two of its newly retrofitted foils.
This time across the Ultime skippers constantly managed 30-plus knot speeds and durations of headwinds and huge swells, with out capsize or severe harm. The fact of those big 100ft trimarans racing all over the world solo has acquired a step nearer.
Route du Rhum nonetheless shut for the opposite fleets
Additional again, in the midst of the Atlantic, Charlie Dalin (Apivia) stays the clear chief of the IMOCA 60 fleet – a place he has held because the fleet sailed out of the English channel shortly after the beginning of the race. However a singnificant lead for Dalin has been diminished as he was the primary to hit a lighter climate entrance permitting the remainder of the fleet to shut on him.
This gateway to the commerce winds could be very slim and retains altering for the IMOCA 60 fleet and is inflicting complications for these within the tight pack instantly behind Dalin. “So long as we haven’t slipped beneath the world of excessive stress and crossed the ridge, it’s going to be difficult,” commented Jérémie Beyou (Charal) early within the morning on Wednesday sixteenth November.
Jeremie Beyou is in an in depth struggle for second within the IMOCA 60. Photograph: Eloi Stichelbaut
The winds are mild and variable going from 6 to 13 knots. “I’m getting handed by Thomas (Ruyant). He’s two miles above me, however I can’t discover the wind right here… It’s difficult with lots of people round me, however that does provide the benefit of indicating the place the wind is. Shedding or gaining locations occurs in a short time, when it’s shut like this.” His lead of ten miles over Paul Meilhat (Biotherm) and Thomas Ruyant (LinkedOut) has shortly vanished.
There’s a related state of affairs with the Ocean Fifty boats with the gaps narrowing between the three frontrunners, Quentin Vlamynck (Arkema), Erwan Le Roux (Koesio) and Sébastien Rogues (Primonial). Eighty miles separated the three yesterday, however now the hole is all the way down to lower than 25.
Issues are barely completely different for the Class40 boats with Yoann Richomme, skipper of Paprec Arkea main the fleet since Monday afternoon. He continues to increase his lead and is now thirty miles forward of Corentin Douguet (Quéguiner – Innoveo). “I’m making an attempt to sail nicely and maintain cool. There’s one other entrance transferring in from the west. We now have to get in the appropriate place to take care of it. I’ll be making an attempt to cross it the place there may be the smallest danger. The climate modifications in a short time. I’ll attempt to keep away from the calms, as it will be a pity to get caught in there. We now have to stay on it. The gateway is slim and altering on a regular basis. It is a important and essential second within the race,” concluded Yoann Richomme.
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